August 21, 2006
By Ndaba Dlamini
IT'S amazing, enchanting and absolutely hilarious. The great South African rock-musical comedy, Fangs, is back on stage with three of the country's most loved actors strutting their stuff at the Pieter Toerien's Montecasino Theatre.
The show, originally produced in 1977, revolves around a Joburg-based vampire who loses his fangs and, consequently, his potency in all respects. The 15-strong member cast provide a blood-warming feast of entertainment through song and dance, with exceptional props and story line that culminates in a crescendo that cuts across various musical styles from the 1940s to the present day.
Directed by Tim Plewman, Fangs was originally performed by the erstwhile Performing Arts Council of the Transvaal (PACT) and revived in 1981 and 1982. Over the years, there have been repeated requests from the public to revive the show and Plewman, together with Bill Flynn, decided to "revamp" the production so that the audiences today could enjoy the show.
During the 1977 production, Plewman was the young man who manned the box office and sold coffee and programmes in the foyer. He designed the original Fangs T-shirt, which he sold from the coffee kiosk.
In this production, Flynn, Michael Richard and Tobie Cronje reprise their original roles that sent audiences into stitches - the vampire-hunting police sergeant, the Elvis-impersonating bloodsucker Suckula and the zany, off-the-wall psychiatrist.
One of South Africa's most popular and versatile actors, Flynn is the darling of the audience with his rhyming banter and silly behaviour. Flynn has played leading roles in film, television and stage plays and holds 13 Best Actor Awards for both drama and comedy roles including the Dublin Critic's Award.
Richard's career on stage spans 25 years and a variety of roles from musicals to the classics, some of the most memorable being Shakespeare's Macduff/Hamlet/Iago and Oom in Full Circle, among others. He has received the prestigious Best Actor Award for Decadence, Othello, Children of a Lesser God and Anne.
Witty Cronje became a household name in 1976 with the highly successful television series, Willem. Since then, his career has encompassed stage, film and television. Winner of the Gallo Award for Best Performance in a Musical for I Love My Wife and numerous other awards, Cronje counts the long-running musical Nunsense he directed for Pieter Toerien as one of the highlights of his career.
Fangs also boasts an impressive array of performers including Catherine Daymond, Jo Galloway, Vanessa Harris, David James, Stephen Marneweck, Zane Gillian, Tandi Meikle, Anita Davel, Jodie Renouf and Andre de Beer.
Fangs is currently on at the Pieter Toerien Theatre, at Montecasino in Fourways, and is runs until 15 September. Tickets are from R100 to R240 and are available at Computicket. There are group bookings, pensioner discounts and on Thursday nights there is a student special. These packages are available on 011 511 1988.
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